12/14/2010
Twin Falls Alternate Route opens to traffic Thursday morning
TWIN FALLS - Nearly two decades from conception, five years since the beginning of construction on the first phase and 15 months from when Pole Line Road was closed, the U.S. 93 Twin Falls Alternate Route is ready for public travel.
The completed roadway is expected to be open for morning traffic on Thursday (Dec. 16), the Idaho Transportation Department announced.
After a ceremonial ribbon-cutting last week with the Twin Falls community, crews were able to complete several regulatory items necessary for the roadway's opening. The project is not yet fully complete, but work is far enough along to allow for traffic. Crews will continue working off the roadway and restoring the floor of Rock Creek Canyon.
The 5.5-mile Alternate Route connects the U.S. 93/U.S. 30 junction to north Twin Falls. A project highlight is the new bridge over Rock Creek Canyon. The former dirt fill and culvert are being removed as part of the project and a restoration of Rock Creek under the bridge is being done.
Since the mid-1990s, ITD and the Twin Falls community have been working toward a Twin Falls/U.S. 93 bypass to ease congestion and improve safety along the truck route, which currently uses Blue Lakes Boulevard, Addison Avenue and Washington Street through the city of Twin Falls.
The first stage of the Alternate Route, from Blue Lakes Boulevard to Grandview Drive, was completed in 2006.
Through construction savings on the alternate route and other regional projects, the construction was expanded to include the full four-lane configuration and a flyover structure for eastbound traffic from the Filer/Buhl area.
W.W. Clyde Inc. of Springville, Utah, is the contractor for the $26.6 million project and $2.3 million flyover.